The Triangular Conflict in Managing Knowledge within Knowledge Services
- Shiri Atzmon
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
Balancing Knowledge Between Experts, Management, and End Users
In knowledge management projects such as designing and maintaining a knowledge base, the greatest challenge is not technological or financial. It is human.
The core mission of the knowledge manager is to navigate between three distinct and sometimes conflicting audiences: subject matter experts, organizational management, and end users. Balancing their needs requires careful attention to quality, consistency, and accessibility. These three forces form a triangle where tension often arises, and managing this tension is essential to success.
The Three Sides of the Triangle
Subject Matter Experts
Subject matter experts are the primary source of knowledge in the organization. Their contribution is essential to building reliable and comprehensive content.
The challenge: Experts often prefer to present information in formats familiar to them, such as long Word documents or detailed presentations with technical terminology and complex explanations. While these formats may reflect their professional standards, they can hinder clarity and usability for other audiences. Simplifying or restructuring their material may be perceived as a threat to their professional integrity.
The goal: Preserve knowledge in a complete and faithful manner.
The conflict: Tension between maintaining professional accuracy and adapting to user friendly writing standards.
End Users
End users such as service representatives or field technicians engage with the knowledge base to solve real world problems efficiently.
The challenge: These users need fast, clear, and actionable answers. If content is too long, overly detailed, or poorly structured, they will bypass the system and turn to colleagues instead. This behavior undermines the purpose of the knowledge base.
The goal: Speed, clarity, and relevance in every interaction.
The conflict: A mismatch between the complexity of expert content and the need for immediate understanding on the part of the user.
Organizational Management
Management views knowledge management as a strategic driver for performance, compliance, and cost effectiveness.
The challenge: Leaders often aim to implement a single knowledge system across the organization. Their focus is on efficiency, resource consolidation, and regulatory alignment. However, one system for all users can lead to conflicting experiences and complicated access structures.
The goal: Return on investment, consistency, and compliance.
The conflict: The push for unified systems may create cognitive overload for users and limit operational flexibility.
The Role of the Knowledge Management Consultant
Mediator, Translator, and Facilitator
The knowledge management consultant acts as the interpreter between worlds. Consultants guide the process, shape the content, and ensure alignment across the organization. Their role is to help all parties feel heard, respected, and supported in the knowledge management process.
Here are three effective strategies for resolving the triangle of tensions:
Translating Needs into Usable Knowledge
Rather than pushing back on experts about format, consultants translate the knowledge into forms that support user action. This process, known as knowledge engineering, preserves content accuracy while improving usability.
For example, a ten page policy document may become a concise procedural guide. Where possible, artificial intelligence tools can assist in converting professional language into simplified, user oriented templates.
The key is to explain that the content remains true to the original, even if its structure has changed. This shift is not a reduction in quality, but an adaptation for real world use.
Measuring Success Based on Usability
To demonstrate value, consultants must show that success is not about how much content exists but how often and how easily it is used.
Metrics such as time to answer, number of views, and user feedback are essential. If a user finds the right answer within five seconds, the knowledge base is working. Allowing users to comment and suggest improvements builds trust and increases engagement.
Responding quickly to feedback reinforces a culture of learning and inclusion. Users feel seen and valued, which contributes to a stronger organizational culture.
Creating Functional Separation within Unified Systems
Even in a unified system, different users must experience the content differently.
Smart segmentation of views, dynamic filters, and granular permission settings ensure that each user accesses only what they need. This prevents information overload, reduces errors, and still aligns with management’s desire for consistency.
Functional separation ensures that standardization does not come at the expense of usability.
In Conclusion
Strong knowledge management requires more than writing accurate content. It involves understanding the needs of different audiences and designing experiences that support each of them.
When consultants balance the perspectives of experts, users, and leadership, they help build knowledge systems that are not only functional but trusted and embraced.
Success is achieved when each group sees its priorities reflected in the final product, even if compromises were needed along the way. This balance enables long term engagement and sustainable knowledge practices across the organization.
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